Page:English Historical Review Volume 37.djvu/61

 1922 COUNCIL AND CABINET, 1679-88 53 petitions of all kinds, sometimes answering them at once, but more often referring them to standing committees or to com- mittees appointed for the purpose, 1 or even to single members, particularly to the lord treasurer (or first lord of the treasury) or to a secretary of state. The recommendations of these bodies or individuals were then either approved or disapproved and orders given accordingly. Fourthly, various directions were given, often to redress grievances of which complaint was made. Thus on receipt of a memorial from the French ambassador on 2 May 1685 L'Estrange was commanded to cause diligent search to be made for the translator and printer of a book entitled Les Plaintes des Protestans cruellement opprimez dans le Royaume de France in order that they might be prosecuted. At the same time a French and an English copy of this work were to be burnt by the common hangman. 2 Fifthly, the council also approved drafts of treaties, 3 and ordered certain payments to be made from time to time by the treasury. 4 Lastly, debates took place on the general policy to be pursued, though, as the result alone is noticed in the register, information on this topic is scanty and vague. 5 To sum up, the perusal of the register leaves the impres- sion that there was a perceptible revival of the importance of the council in 1679-80, and that decadence set in again afterwards. Certainly until the very end of James's reign, when the council again came into its own, it was becoming more and more concerned only with formal routine. This was inevitable by reason of the fact that much of the business was now transacted by committees. On 22 April 1679 four standing committees were nominated, for intelligence, Ireland, Tangier, and trade and plantations, 6 1 Thus the petition of John de la Cloche of Jersey was referred to the committee for the affairs of Jersey on 4 August 1680, and that of John Wheldon to a committee of four appointed for the purpose on 21 July 1681. 2 Privy Coun. Reg. Ixxi. 263. Cf. Macaulay, History of England, ch. vi. 3 ' This day the ensuing project of a treaty marine between his majesty and the emperor of Fez and Morocco &c. was read at the board & approved by his majesty vizt. ..." (Privy Coun. Reg. Ixix. 517). 4 Thus on 16 April 1686 the arrears of 242,000 due to the servants of the late king were ordered to be paid (ibid. Ixxi. 252). 5 Edward Southwell, a former clerk of the privy council, apparently writing in 1692-5, has the following note : ' Powers of the council Board. . . . The clerk of the Parliament did allways bring the Acts of Parliament to be read in Council, before the King came to the House to pass them ; but this was left off in King James II time. The Privy Council were glad of this because it might not seem to lye on them the advising not to pass any bill ' (Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 34349, fo. 21, printed in Hatschek, Englische Verfa&sungsgeschichte, p. 443 n.). 6 Privy Coun. Reg. Ixviii. 5. Cf. ante, xxvii. 689, where Mr. Temperley wrote : ' We hear before 1679 of a foreign committee, and after it of a committee of intelli- gence, both of which seem sometimes to have been loosely described as the " cabinet council". They are sharply differentiated from the "Standing Committees", in that their function is one of general decision as to policy. Diplomacy appears to have